La Bodega By Salts Launches Kickstarter Campaign

A pair of restaurateurs working to open a restaurant in Watertown just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the renovations for the new space. Gabriel Bremer and Analia Verolo, the former proprietors of acclaimed fine-dining restaurant Salts in Cambridge, are making progress on their new project, La Bodega, which will feature seasonal farm-to-table cuisine and Uruguayan-inspired dishes.

Bremer and Verolo have a targeted fundraising goal of $40,000, which will allow them to open the restaurant, but Bremer told Eater they have additional plans should they raise more. Ideally, they would like to bring in $80,000, which would mean being able to purchase new tables and chairs, bar stools, and table ware, plus creating an outdoor garden patio, updating kitchen and bar equipment, and adding a few other design features.

Part of the renovation will feature a refurbished dining car, which Bremer and Verolo have already demoed. They will use Kickstarter funds to help with the buildout.

Bremer and Verolo’s Salts closed in 2014 after a pipe burst in the building that housed the restaurant. They started working towards opening a new place when they learned they would be unable to reopen in the Salts space in March 2015.

“This has been a process and a half,” Bremer told Eater. “It’s been a long search. About a year and a half searching for the right location that would sort of fit all of our check boxes. I can say happily the more and more time we spend in our new neighborhood the more we really love it.”

Bremer said the food concept at La Bodega would be personal, rooted around Verolo’s Uruguayan culture, with some Spanish and Basque influences. “It’s different from what people know us for, but there will be some very familiar aspects,” he said, including the beloved whole roasted duck from Salts. Other potential dishes include a wild mushroom escabeche with baby artichokes and aged manchego, as well as wood-grilled beef short ribs with salsa criolla and olive oil smashed potatoes.

La Bodega will accommodate 90 people, and there will be a full bar, craft cocktails, and a mix of small and large plates, including wood-fired and grilled dishes.

“Renovations and construction are moving along nicely, and soon we’re going to need to start hiring key staff,” Bremer said, noting that he would like to open in the beginning of the new year.

The fundraising period for La Bodega will run until February 5. Incentives for donating to the fundraising campaign vary depending on the amount of the contribution and include invitations to the restaurant’s grand opening party, tasting menus, cooking classes, creating a seasonal sandwich, and partaking in other private events.

• Salts Still Hasn't Reopened But Wants to Find a New Space [EBOS]
• Gabriel Bremer of Salts Will Make His Comeback in Watertown [EBOS]
• La Bodega by Salts [Kickstarter]